Enter the Forest, Enter the Nightmare
by ItsDannyAgain
Summary: A young ShadowClan kit is lost in a flood after the death of her mother, leading to her being found by a wolf pack. Raised by wolves, Kaia knows nothing about her true heritage, until one day when she is talking to a ThunderClan cat. Alongside her adoptive brother, she goes in search of who she was born to be, even if the process is harder than it seemed. M for adult content.
1. Character List

**CHARACTER LIST**

 **The Wolves**

 **ALPHAS (highest ranked mating adults)**

Tahoe – large black male with gold eyes

Juniper – red-brown female with green-brown eyes and dark brown legs

Namara – snowy white female with liquid golden eyes

Rust – dark red male

Winter – gray-silver female (Tahoe and _Holly_ )

 **BETAS (middle ranked mating adults)**

Willow – dark gray female, blind in one eye (Tahoe and _Holly_ )

Hawkweed – scrawny gray-brown female (Juniper and unknown male)

Finn – white male with darker ears (Juniper and unknown male)

 **OMEGAS (lowest ranked mating adults)**

Fawn – creamy brown and gray female

Night – black male

 **YEARLINGS (members of the pack who are not yet of mating age or holding ranks, but are old enough to hunt)**

Mikii – black and white female (Finn and Winter)

Tikim – dark gray male (Rust and Namara)

 **ThunderClan**

 **LEADER (head of the Clan)**

Amberstar – auburn she-cat with dark green eyes

 **DEPUTY (second in command)**

Mosstail – dappled tom with torn ears

-Apprentice: Willowpaw

 **MEDICINE CAT (healers; also interpret signs and omens)**

Mottlestep – tortoiseshell and white she-cat

 **WARRIORS (mating adults responsible for hunting and fighting)**

Sunheart – golden tom with bright green eyes

Pebblestep – white she-cat with black speckled paws

-Apprentice: Hawkpaw

Jaysong – speckled gray and brown tom with amber eyes

Hollypelt – very dark gray tabby she-cat

Hazelbelly – ginger and white she-cat

-Apprentice: Yewpaw

Snoweye – dark brown tabby with distinctive very pale blue eyes

Adderstep – torbie-and-white tom with amber eyes

Heavywhisker – large thickset black tom with very long, white whiskers, originally from RiverClan

 **APPRENTICES (cats not yet of mating age in training to become warriors)**

Willowpaw – gray and white she-cat

Hawkpaw – very small ginger she-cat

Yewpaw – pale tabby tom

 **ShadowClan**

 **LEADER**

Stormstar – blue-gray tabby tom with scarred shoulders

 **DEPUTY**

Blackenedrose – primarily black tortoiseshell with blue eyes

 **MEDICINE CAT**

Foxspots – dappled red-brown tom

Grasstail – agouti tom

 **WARRIORS**

Pinegorse – pale brown tom

Ashpool – silver tabby she-cat

Dawnsong – smoky gray she-cat

Rosedapple – rose-ginger tabby she-cat with odd eyes

Lichenstrike – large dark brown tabby tom

-Apprentice: Dustpaw

Starlingtuft – mottled blue-gray tom

Sunjaw – pale silver-gray and white tabby she-cat with green eyes (formerly of ThunderClan)

-Apprentice: Fernpaw

Jumpheart – golden brown tom

 **APPRENTICES**

Fernpaw – dark brown tabby she-cat

Dustpaw – very pale brown tabby tom

 **Cats Outside The Clans**

Kaia – large, muscular agouti she-cat; a ShadowClan orphan raised by Namara, lives with the wolf pack in the valley

Tempe – small black and white she-cat, lives at the Horseplace

Yarrow – elderly yellow tabby tom

 _**Note: Additional characters will be appearing, including the other two Clans. However, it is so far down in the story line that I have not included them in this list._


	2. Chapter 1

_Alright, I know it has been long coming, but the first chapter is finally up. Not much in the way of excitement yet, but that will be coming in the next chapter ;)_

 _All characters and story (c) myself_

 _Warriors (c) Erin Hunter_

* * *

"Kaia, dear, please remember to unsheathe your claws when you are up there! I don't want you falling again!" a voice called up from the forest floor, tinged with concern. The dark agouti female looked down through the branches and saw the white wolf standing there, her liquid golden eyes staring up at the feline. The cat purred and waved her tail in acknowledgment before continuing her ascent, reaching higher until she could see over the entire valley.

She scanned the vast green expanse, looking for the herds to tell the pack where to begin the hunt. While not being able to actively participate was a bit of an annoyance, Kaia eventually learned that her comparatively small size, which prevented her from being of much use to her family on the ground, allowed her to play an even more important role. Her red-amber eyes were narrowed slightly as the sunlight hit them directly, but she continued looking until she eventually spotted the dark movement. Letting out a satisfied chirp, the young cat scrambled down and ran back to the rest of the pack.

"The elk are just a mile or two north of here! Should be an easy hunt this time! Plenty of slow movers in this one," she mewed to the white wolf, who nodded thoughtfully. Looking around, Kaia eventually found Tikim, her adoptive brother, shuffling his paws on the dirt impatiently. He looked as though a mouse was digging a nest into his pelt, his bushy tail flipping wildly as he waited to hear who was going on the hunt.

"What's up with you, Tikim? You look like you are going to take flight!" the feline purred, flicking the wolf with her tail tip, amusement gleaming in her eyes.

"I hope today is the day I finally get to lead the hunt! I'm almost 18 moons old, I'm able to handle it!" he responded, watching the pack elders discussing the plan. When the white wolf came over, he jumped, not having noticed she was there. "Oh hello Mother! Do you know anything about who is going on the hunt?"

Kaia rolled her eyes and stretched, digging her claws into the earth before laying down, her stripped tail flicking slowly. "At least you're even allowed to go! Remember, some of us are too small to hunt prey like that!" she meowed, flopping her head onto her paws dramatically, a purr rumbling in her throat. She pulled her tail closer as Tikim laid next to her, his gray fur still bushed out. She had known this wolf her entire life, and had never seen him as patient or calm enough to lead a hunt by himself, let alone his third. But she wasn't about to tell him that, since he wouldn't listen anyways.

"Tikim, be patient. Kaia only just announced where the herds are! For the love of the moon, wait a few heartbeats!" a large black male snapped at the younger wolf, his ears flicking irritably. The male turned to Kaia's adoptive mother and muttered "It seems your son wants to lead a hunt, Namara. Does he not realize the dangers involved?"

Kaia looked to Namara, whose liquid gaze gave nothing away as she huffed "Of course he does. You let the other yearlings lead hunts at 18 moons, why not show Tikim as well?"

"Do you not remember what happened last time a yearling was put in charge of the hunt? We didn't eat for two weeks because Mikii scared away the entire herd." The black wolf looked over to a female, not much older than Tikim and Kaia, looking at the etched plans for the chasers who would be the ones to drive the prey to the hunters.

"You have a point, I suppose…" Namara answered before looking over her shoulder to see that her son and his adoptive sister had gotten up and wandered over to Mikii. "I just think that you need to give him a chance. Who know? He may end up bringing home a meal."

"Fine. But he is taking Kaia with him. I will not have him getting into any mischief on this hunt." The black wolf padded over to the yearlings, and jerked his muzzle at Tikim. "You will be leading the hunt. Take Kaia with you, since she knows where the herds are. And do not come home without a catch. Mikii, get the other chasers and head out."

Tikim's dark amber eyes lit up at the news and he nodded his head furiously. "You won't regret this, Tahoe, I promise!" he barked, nudging the agouti feline forward to join the hunters.

"Why am I going? I thought I was prohibited from going on hunts," Kaia asked once they were out of Tahoe's sight. Sure she knew where the herds were, but she was still extremely small compared to the wolves, even with being larger for a female cat.

Mikii came up next to them and tilted her head. "Hunting elk is extremely dangerous. Having a lookout would actually not be such a bad idea. And you are the best at monitoring the movements of the herds, so maybe Tahoe finally came to his senses and realized that, being a cat, you would actually be able to do a job the rest of us can't," she said, walking forward to join the rest of the group as they began the trek across the valley.

"Are you sure about this plan? It seems reckless to go after the male…" a red-brown female asked, apprehension lining her usually cocky voice.

"Look at him, he's limping more than the elderly ones! I've seen you guys take down larger bulls than that, Juniper," Tikim whispered back, his eyes never leaving his prey.

"True. But you've never led a hunt before, and the only ones you've been on were picking off the old and weak. You have never taken on a mating bull before."

"Just trust me on this. Kaia even said this would be our best chance, and she is able to see the entire herd from up there."

With that, the group stalked forward, Kaia staring intently after them. Yawning, the feline shook her fur and began to climb higher on her perch to get a better view. Her tailtip began twitching excitedly as she watched the lean chasers moving the prey, teasing and snapping while laughing and running. Just watching this was sending thrills down her spine, just like it did when she was taken to watch Tikim's first hunt. She had to dig her claws into the bark beneath her paws to keep herself steady, and to force her muscles from bounding down and joining the chase. Before her eyes, she saw Mikii and her group finally pull their target to the hunters, the great beast bellowing fiercely. Suddenly she saw Tikim burst forward with Juniper bounding beside him, her red-brown fur bushing from the air moving between the tufts.

Leaping up, her adoptive brother grabbed at the bull's neck, his lean muzzle shutting down onto the thick hide. The blood of the prey began welling up from the puncture wounds, the sharp tang pulling up to Kaia in the air current. Her mouth began watering at the smell, but she shook her head and refocused herself, as hard as it was.

"Fuck…Tikim, let go!" Juniper barked, as the bull was pulled down by the larger adults. The gray male looked down, and let out a startled yelp as he let go, the red mess splurting everywhere. The great bull was finally down, giving his last struggles at life.

Tikim rolled through the grass, stopping as he crashed into the tree that Kaia was perched in. The feline cringed and shut one of her eyes as she watched her adoptive brother slam into the hard trunk, letting out a stunned groan before standing up shakily.

"Are you alright?!" Kaia asked as she leaped down beside the wolf, concern darkening her gaze.

"Shit that hurts…yeah, I'm okay. That is going to leave one hell of a mark though…" he muttered, rubbing the side of his head in search of any cuts.

"Way to go, dumbass! You almost got yourself killed!" Mikii yelped at her friend, her anger clearly caused by concern. "What would I have done if—" She cut herself off and flattened her ears, growing visibly embarrassed with her remark.

"What?" he asked, shaking his head as if he had heard the female incorrectly.

"Nothing, forget what I just said. Come on, we need to get the kill back to the rest of the pack." With that, the mortified female nudged her friend to his paws and they went to take their catch back.

"What was that all about, between them? I knew they were close, but damn, I didn't realize she likes Tikim that much," Kaia whispered to herself as she slowly shook her head, watching the two for a moment before bounding off to the rest of the pack.

"He did what?!" Rust asked in disbelief, looking over at his son, who was trying desperately to wash the blood and sap from his pelt.

"You heard me, Rust. Tikim delivered the killing blow without any help. He's a true alpha, that one. A reckless alpha, but an alpha nonetheless," Juniper responded as she tugged a piece of meat over to where she was laying with Rust and Namara.

"Son, why did you decide to do that?" Namara sighed, clearly exasperated. "Do you know what Tahoe will say when he learns what you did?"

Tikim froze and turned his eyes to the adults. "Um, well, I don't know…" he sputtered, dumbfounded.

"I'll tell you what I would say." A deep voice rumbled behind the young male.

"Tahoe! Uh…"

"While I will agree that what you did was reckless, it proved to me that you are indeed capable of leading a hunt successfully. And you and Mikii are both ready for placement. We will hold the ceremony tonight after the meal," the black male said, amused by the look on the young male's face.

"Tha-thank you," Tikim replied, bowing his head.

"Where did you learn that?" Kaia asked.

"I learned that those Clan cats bow their heads to show respect to their superiors. I think it makes a lot of sense," he stated matter-of-factly.

"You've met Clan cats?"

"Yeah. A group called ThunderClan sometimes hunts in the lower valley. I guess it must be the edges of their territory. Interesting group. You should meet them, they might be able to tell you about your birth mother."

"Well, now that you mention it, I have run into a group of them, living in the pine forest. They seem fairly honorable, with not killing me on the spot," she mewed thoughtfully. "Do you really think I came from one of those Clans?"

"Anything is possible when you don't know yourself."

"I guess so. But still, what would they even do about it if I turn out to have been born in a Clan? From what I understand, you have to be trained, and that training starts well before you are 18 moons old, Tikim."

"One of those warriors told me that one of their own joined ShadowClan, the group you ran into, and that she was a human toy before joining them, well past the age where training happens. It seems like it would be difficult, but he said she adjusted well enough," the wolf answered, tilting his head as he waiting for a smart remark from his adoptive sister.

"But-" Kaia's response was cut off by a flick of a thick black tail and she looked up to see Night, one of the omegas settling next to Tikim, his unusual blue eyes glowing with their typical laid back curiosity. Night was deemed an omega due to unknown parentage, having shown up as a yearling lone wolf. He was a good friend of the feline, and she relaxed when she realized he wasn't one of the elders.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were born in a Clan. They have these cats they call "medicine cats" and one of the ones living in the pine forest mentioned he had lost his mother in a storm and that he was told his sister was lost as well, and they didn't know if she was dead or alive," Night huffed as he rolled onto his side, never taking his eyes of the cat.

"Then why would I have any reason to think I am his sister? I've never even met this cat."

"Well, then we will just have to go and ask them. Let's go." The black wolf stood and nudged Kaia and Tikim to their paws.

"Wait a minute, Night. We can't just go into their territory! And what are the elders going to say when they realize we're gone?!" Kaia hissed, her gaze watching as the elders council was busy discussing something.

"Don't worry about it Kaia. We'll be back before they even realize we left!" Night huffed confidently before swishing his tail for them to follow.

"Okay…but if we get into trouble, it's your fault," the cat mewed, springing along next to Tikim.

The undergrowth this way was thicker than Kaia was used to, making her feel slightly claustrophobic, her pelt pricking with the feeling that they were being followed. Sighing inwardly, she stopped, causing the two wolves to crash behind her paws. Her fur fluffing out in paranoia, she burst between her companions, her eyes bold.

"What the fuck? Kaia, what's wrong?" Tikim asked.

"Alright, I know you're out there! Come out and face us!" she hissed, an ear twitching as she spoke.

Out of the undergrowth stepped a white female, her paws black as the night sky, the darker fur speckling about halfway up her legs. A small ginger male followed her, his pelt fluffed out in an attempt to look larger than he was. The female sat down several tail-lengths away from Kaia, her eyes giving her curiosity away.

"What are you doing here, intruders? Don't you know what we do to—" the ginger tom spat as he began to lunge toward the agouti female, only to be blocked and pinned down by Tikim, his teeth holding his throat. This prompted the white female to twitch her tail, clearly irritated with her younger companion.

"I'm sorry about him. He is newly apprenticed and, as you can tell, has yet to learn not to try to start fights he cannot finish. My name is Pebblestep, and that is my apprentice, Hawkpaw. May I ask what you are doing this far south?" the white cat meowed, glaring down at the apprentice. Tikim, upon hearing this, released the tom, but not before snapping and baring his teeth to get his point across. Hawkpaw scrambled away, clearly shocked and terrified of the large gray wolf.

Kaia looked at Night and Tikim before turning back to Pebblestep. "I wanted to know more about that missing kit from ShadowClan. Night and Tikim here have heard tale of it and I have found myself curious of the story."

Pebblestep titled her head slightly and her eyes narrowed in thought. After a moment of thinking, she perked up. "Oh yes, I remember that day. ShadowClan's camp flooded one night and a queen and one of her kits were carried away from the rest of the Clan, her other kit safe from harm. The queen's body was found several days later, having drowned in the floodwater. Her kit, however, was never seen again. There was the scent of wolf near the body of the kit's mother, and it was presumed that she had been killed by the wolf that had gone through that area. The queen's other kit is a medicine cat now," she responded, looking Kaia over curiously.

Kaia took a moment to process the story before looking back to the other cat, noticing how the white she-cat was looking at her.

"What…why are you looking at me like that, Pebblestep?" she murred, tilting her head in confusion.

"Well StarClan be damned. I think I am looking at that lost ShadowClan kit."


End file.
